The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to a refrigerator which may simply adjust a temperature in the refrigerator, and a method for controlling the same.
In general, a refrigerator is an apparatus which may store food in a fresh state for a predetermined period of time by cooling a storage chamber (a freezing chamber or a refrigerating chamber) while repeatedly performing a refrigeration cycle.
The refrigerator includes a compressor configured to compress a refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle to a high temperature and a high pressure. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor generates cold air while passing through a heat exchanger, and the generated cold air is supplied to the freezing chamber or the refrigerating chamber.
According to a refrigerator according to the related art, a compressor used in the refrigerator may be repeatedly switched on/off according to a temperature in the refrigerator. When the temperature in the refrigerator is not less than a predetermined temperature, the compressor is switched on so that a refrigeration cycle is driven. In contrast, when the temperature in the refrigerator is not more than the predetermined temperature, the compressor may be switched off because it is unnecessary to supply cold air.
A main printed circuit board (PCB), by which information on the temperature in the refrigerator is transferred and thus a related command may be transferred to a compressor controller, should be installed in the refrigerator to control an ON/OFF operation of the compressor. There is a problem in that increased costs are required to install such a main PCB.
In more detail, the existing refrigerator employs a reciprocating compressor, and is configured such that a space in the refrigerator may be maintained in a set temperature range by a thermostat which is switched on/off according to a change in the temperature in the refrigerator.
The refrigerator having such a structure has an advantage in that the refrigerator may be configured using a relatively simple structure and low costs.
However, the refrigerator having such a structure has a problem in that because only an ON/OFF operation may be controlled due to characteristics of the reciprocating compressor, a proper operation control cannot be performed according to a load, and the proper operation control cannot be performed according to a temperature of external air. Further, there is a problem in that because a efficient operation control of the compressor cannot be performed in accordance with a load, power consumption is high.
To solve the above-described problems, a refrigerator, which employs an inverter-type compressor that may perform a variable supply control of a cooling power, and adjusts the cooling power by varying a frequency according to a load in the refrigerator and temperatures measured by a temperature sensor unit including an external air temperature sensor and an internal air temperature sensor, has been developed. In such a refrigerator, a variable operation control of the compressor may be performed in accordance with a load, an operating time of the compressor may be shortened and an interior of the refrigerator may be rapidly cooled, so that power consumption may be reduced.
However, in the refrigerator having such a structure, temperature sensors, a display configured to set the temperature in the refrigerator, and a manipulation unit are additionally required, and a separate main microcomputer configured to control the temperature sensors, the display, and the manipulation unit to adjust a frequency of the compressor according to a load is additionally required. Thus, there is a problem in that because the separate main microcomputer configured to control the temperature sensors, the display, and the like is required in addition to a compressor microcomputer configured to drive the inverter-type compressor, manufacturing costs increase.
Further, when a temperature of external air is high, the frequency of the compressor is controlled to be high by the external air temperature sensor, and the cooling power for cooling the interior of the refrigerator is excessively provided. Thus, there is a problem in that because the compressor is frequently driven, power consumption increases.